| Ford and Toyota recall five million cars Two leading manufacturers in the global automotive industry are the Japanese Toyota Motor Co. and the American Ford Motor Co. -- became part of one of the largest vehicle recall campaigns in history. Last Tuesday, both giants simultaneously announced their readiness to return a total of about 5 million cars for revision. Most of the breakdowns occur at Ford - the company is going to repair 3.8 million of its cars. All of them were released in the United States from 1994 to 2002. Among the vehicles subject to recall are such popular models in America as the Ford F-150, Expedition, sporty Bronco and Lincoln Navigator SUV. The recall was caused by problems with the cruise control system. This action will radically affect the financial results of the concern, experts say, because it is the third largest Ford recall.
As a result of a special examination conducted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it turned out that the cruise control system has a serious defect: brake fluid can leak through the shutdown button into the electronic components of the car, which can lead to rapid corrosion and even fire. Before the car undergoes a thorough technical inspection, experts recommend turning off the cruise control system. To date, about 550 cases of car fire due to such defects have been recorded, three of which were fatal. For this reason, Ford has already recalled 800 thousand vehicles produced in 2000.
The main initiators of the recall, thanks to which it became known about the omissions of the famous American automaker, were a group of consumers. They made their claims just at the moment when Ford CEO William Clay Ford Jr. began an active campaign aimed at improving the quality of the cars produced. According to the top manager's plans, attention to the consumer should lead to high sales figures in the United States in the near future. But now this may not happen. According to NHTSA, the announced action will be the third largest recall in Ford history and the fifth largest in US history. Analysts agree that it will be a serious blow to Ford. Its gravity is easy to imagine when you consider that the number of Ford vehicles announced for recall corresponds to annual sales in the entire North American market. “Consumers are most likely to view this review negatively,” said IRN Inc., an auto market analyst. Eric Merkle. - This will be another black spot on the company's reputation. Even though we are talking about relatively old models, the company’s development will be delayed.”
However, Ford representatives are trying to save the situation: “We have a solution that can eliminate this problem, and we are confident that this is the right remedy,” says Kristen Kinley, a spokeswoman for the automobile company. He did not say what exactly the decision was about. It is known that the supplier of the components containing defects was the Texas company Texas Instruments Inc., whose representatives are confident that, in general, the system is working properly. It is still difficult to say how the dispute between the two partners will be resolved, if, of course, there is one at all.
Another problem was found in Toyota cars. The Japanese manufacturer is preparing to return 978 thousand cars for repair due to possible problems with the power steering system. Certain 4Runner SUVs, 4WD trucks, and T-100 forklifts manufactured between 1989 and 1998 are subject to inspection. In justifying the need for repairs, NHTSA cites seven confirmed cases where problems with the steering drive led to a violation of the safety of T-100 loaders. The only small consolation for consumers is the fact that the breakdown has so far manifested itself when the car was not in motion. Toyota promises to begin its recall in mid-September. Denis UVAROV |
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